Chez Moi

What’s happening to Indian cinema these days? More and more, I am reading about blokes who want to become directors, become some big shot’s assistant and then end up catching the eye of a director and end up being cast as the main lead in their next movie and…. you can guess the rest.

Or…. a normal, middle-class chappie, with no connection to filmdom whatsoever, gets bitten by the movie bug fairly early in life, completes his education (in most cases, at least a master’s degree) and then moves to the local tinsel town and starts churning out films.

Siddharth (assistant director - Kannathil Muthamittal, actor - Ayutha Ezhuthu, NVNV, Rang De Basanti, Bommarillu), Kunal Kapoor (assistant director - Aks, actor - Meenaxi, Rang de Basanti), Madhavan (actor - Alai Payudhey, Minnale, Ramji Londonwale), Siva Kumar (director - Chukkallo Chandrudu), Shekhar Kammula (director - Anand, Godavari), Bhaskar (director - Bommarillu) - the list is increasing by the day.

There has always been a steady influx of wannabes in the industry - but what is different with these guys is that they are just regular blokes like you or me (well not me, exactly, but you get the picture!). That being so, they have spent most of their lives watching movies, dissing storylines and the actors like all of us; being unrelated by blood to the movie industry, they also have a healthy dose of reality running in their bloodstreams, which makes the roles they essay, much more plausible.

What’s more, they are real savvy when it comes to marketing their products too. Directors like Shekhar Kammula and Siva Kumar, who did their masters in American universities, have a clear understanding of the NRI movie-going crowd and consider the diaspora when making their films. Now it isn’t just the ‘masses’ that are being pandered to - the urban moviebuff (which could mean anyone from Chennai to San Francisco) is being taken seriously as
audience as well. I, for one, am quite happy at this as the movies these directors churn out are of the sleeker, more polished kind. Releasing their movies in the foreign markets also dramatically increases their profits - as they have no doubt realised.

In short, it seems like the movie industry isn’t the playground of filmi spawn anymore. The success of these regular guys has proved that you don’t have to be the neighbour of A.R.Rahman’s neice’s best friend or Mani Ratnam’s wife’s distant cousin’s thrice removed, to enter the Land of Make Believe. With a bit of pluck and effort, some luck and the gift of the gab, you could be well on your way to becoming the next superstar!

Crossposted at Naachgaana and DesiCritics.